1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to lavatory spouts of the type wherein hot and cold water are supplied to a shank from valved faucets, passed through an annular area in the shank and out through a spout.
2. State of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,876 to Young, there is disclosed a lavatory spout construction in which a brass casting is covered with a two-part zinc die cast cover. The brass casting is conventional in the art and has an externally threaded hollow shank to which water is supplied and a spout through which water passes. An aerator is threadably retained in the outer end of the spout. A pop-up rod extends through the shank of the casting and is housed within a pop-up rod tube which forms an annular water passage within the casting.
This casting is very expensive to manufacture because of the high cost of the material and because of the numerous machining operations which must be performed on the part. Skilled labor is required to perform the machine operations.
Unsuccessful attempts have been previously made to replace the brass casting with a less expensive part. One such attempt is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,380 to Johnson et al. The Johnson et al spout has an integrally molded spout and body portion which forms a water passage as well as the decorative outer surface of the spout. A separate shank must be threaded into the bottom of the spout body. In the forming operation, an opening is made in the back of the body which must be sealed with a separate plug. An ultrasonic welding operation is required for sealing the plug. Further, the plug is aesthetically undesirable.
In another unsuccessful attempt to replace the machined casting, a copper spout pipe was joined to a cast screw machine shank containing a pop-up rod tube. A two-part zinc die cast plated cover enclosed the spout and the upper portion of the shank.
Plastic spouts and conduits are well known in the plumbing industry. For example, a plastic water spout is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,406 to Anderson. The Anderson spout is a tub spout which is designed to threadably engage a water pipe and includes a plastic cover.
Heretofore, a suitable replacement for the machined casting in the lavatory-type spout construction has not been achieved.